The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
The present application relates to the treatment of subterranean formations. More particularly, the present application relates to compositions and methods utilizing CO2 activated swellable elastomers in subterranean operations.
In subterranean operations, such as drilling, hydraulic fracturing, gravel packing, cementing, there may be several instances where it may be desirable to control or prevent the passage of fluid through a portion of a subterranean formation, control or prevent the production of an undesirable fluid through a well bore, and/or isolate specific areas in a well bore or zones in a subterranean formation.
In particular, drilling operations involve the use of drilling mud, which has a number of functions including lubricating the drill bit, carrying drill cuttings to the surface, and/or balancing formation pressure exerted on the wellbore. Pressure differentials between the wellbore and formation, fractures in the formation, and/or large vugs, among other causes, may result in undesirable loss of drilling mud from the wellbore (“lost circulation”). Lost circulation during drilling operations introduces hazards, costs, and potentially compromises the quality of zonal isolation. In some cases, drilling operations must be stopped until the lost circulation is regained and fluid loss to the fracture is reduced to an acceptable level. In other cases, lost circulation can result in the loss of the well altogether.
There is a constant need for a fluid having improved fluid loss/lost circulation properties.